Life and times of an amateur athlete and my adventures as a weekend warrior - including my successful completion of Ironman Canada Subaru 2009

Monday, April 23, 2012

The Pity Party

sorry I know I should have been posted sooner but well I have been holding my own pity party.

If you recall i was all like - I cut my runs short when it started to hurt and have been working with physio - it is all good. Well IT WAS NOT GOOD! grrrr

After the 23km run where I had some pretty bad pain and pulled out at 16km I went for my my next physio and he was like no running for a week to let it settle down and get my orthotics looked at. He then proceeded to go and get a a calendar and show me what exactly he meant by a week - including with start and finish dates?!?! Yeesh - ok in his defense the last time he said a week I left the week up to interpretation - I took a week it was just he meant at that moment and I started the week 3 days later so it did not mess with my long runs. My husband told my old physio who tattled to my new physio so hence the careful explanation of week.

Sounds good -no running for 1 week and off I toddle to my podiatrist. He asks what's up - I point to the area of my calf/ankle that has been bothering me and barely get 5 words out before he says - NO RUNNING - WHAT?!?!?! I have to finish telling yo.... NO RUNNING - I am ordering an Ultrasound - no running until after that.

So I am a little shocked and him being the smart guy he is ( pretty sure my physio probably called him ahead of time to give him a refresher on me and the need for explicitly detailed explanations) saw an opening to get his message to me in no uncertain terms. He pushes on - You probably have torn your tendon - WHAT. Okay now you have my attention.

He explains in graphic detail that the pain I have and the nature of how it came up is consistent with a tear and that I need an ultrasound. Really a tear - okay everyone calm down. I was like what about my races -
what about those - I have 2 coming up
.
He actually did an eye roll and because he knows me and has been my physician for 12 years he decides that I am not listening. So he outlines it - if I run and I have a small tear I can worsen it to the point that I tear the whole tendon. Hmmm - the only way to fix that is surgery - don't like the sound of that. and then Rehab for at least a year possibly longer and probably no running ever again. OKAY You have my attention.Can I swim and ride still? Yes your can. Okay, that is good right?

So I got my appointment time, left his office got in my car and proceeded to cry for a bit. OMG what the heck - I had been doing physio - I had been doing what they told me - I stopped running when it really hurt. So I did what any sane rational person would do - I went into denial. I clung to the fact that he said I could ride and swim. Well then that is what i was going to do - I was going to ride every day and swim every second day until the Ultrasound and then when it came back negative i was going to run and show him!

Well the Ultrasound was done and the next day the call came - 7mm tear in the soleus - okay that is not the tendon and it is only 7mm - so I am good to go. You can imagine the sigh on his end of the phone. Nope- I have to wear a stupid air cast for 4 weeks, no riding for a week, swimming only with a pull buoy, water running okay, and then I can get on the trainer and spin in about a week or so.

So yep since that phone call I have been at the pool pretty much everyday swimming with the pull buoy for an hour followed by 1 hour of water running (he SAID it was okay). The days that I don't swim I am at physio and acupuncture. I am determined to be back in 2.5 weeks and have already arranged for a follow-up Ultrasound for then. Hey perks to working in healthcare.

So pity party is officially over and I am going to do whatever it takes to get back in the game. I obviously will not be doing the Vancouver Marathon but I am still hopeful that I can do the Oliver Half Iron in June.

About Me

I am an IRONMAN. I set this blog up to share a little about my journey to Ironman but mostly to introduce you to some truly fabulous women I run and train with and possibly inspire a few of you to get off the couch and do something. My friends and I come from all spectrum's of life and all age groups some of us are faster than others, some of us are beginners, some are in their 20's, some in their 50's, some only run 10km, some do Ultra's (50km and over) but the one thing we all have in common is that we like an adventure, a challenge, to push the envelope, and to have a whole lot of fun while we do it. Oh and we never, EVER unless it is physically impossible quit! It is not about the time or where we placed it is about finishing what we started, supporting each other and inspiring each other to be all we can be, looking at task and saying How Bad can it Be? and then learning that it was pretty bad but we survived and then finding the next event or adventure and doing it all over again. Hope you enjoy the read. Peace out